NATO pushes Turkey against Russia

The attitude of Moscow towards its neighbors cannot be justified, as said by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. «To justify Russia’s actions in respect of Ukraine and other post-Soviet states is impossible. Ankara is ready to play a constructive role in the settlement of disagreements between Moscow and the West, but nothing can justify what Russia has done and continues to do in respect of its neighbors, » stressed Cavusoglu. As mentioned by the Turkish minister, these examples include Ukraine, particularly the Crimea, and Georgia. The Turkish Foreign Ministry recalled the concern of Ankara due to the fact that representatives of the Tatar minority in the Crimea have been repressed by the Russian authorities. According to him, a group of Turkish parliamentarians visited the peninsula in order to assess the situation with the violation of the rights of the Crimean Tatars, and later he would be able to report on their findings. On May 13 in Antalya, a two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the NATO countries kicked off.  Based on Cavusoglu’s words, along with the threats imposed by the «Islamic state», one of the main themes of the talks will be the threats coming “from the east.» Earlier, in his interview to the «RUSAMINFO» agency, Vladimir Yevseyev predicted such a development: «The NATO summit’s main theme will be the development a common policy against the Russian Federation. Through the influence over Erdogan the West can force Turkey to conduct an anti-Russian policy. » According to the expert, as a result of the Turkey’s position on this issue, in near future it won’t be possible to discuss the interest of the Turkish authorities in the Eurasian Economic Union, announced by President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev on May 8. Note: On May 13-14, the foreign ministers of the NATO member states will hold two sessions of the North Atlantic Council, as well as a separate session of the Ukraine – NATO committee. John Kerry, US Secretary of State, arrived in Antalya after the talks in Sochi with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.